Crude
by Alexandria3
Summary: The human's made something. Something terrifying. AU Subtitle as: Crude The Scary-With-Wings-Aft-Slaughterer-of-'Bots-and-Humans. provided humbly by Esor 'Rolamee


AN: My first Transformer fic ever. Please be gentle.

**Crude.**

It was built out of rusted metal and frayed cords. Human-made, that much Prowl could tell. But how? Their current technology did not allow for the building of a sentient bot. The large mech was simply crude. So crude Prowl wasn't sure what it was at first. There were many parts, but no streamline connection between them. The shape formed in his optics ten seconds too late. Even then, all his CPU could process was the giant four-clawed hand coming towards him at a speed that didn't make sense. There was no logical explanation for his inability ito get out of the way/i. Or at least shoot it.

The claws pierced through his armor and body like organic butter. The thing jerked him forward, yellow optics staring into his.

"It's a shame," it said, "that you keep coming back, and I keep killing you."

Prowl didn't have time to be confused before the other hand came at that impossible speed again, and tore his body in two.

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Prowl came online with a suddenness he was unaccustomed to. There something at the edge of his CPU, like the remnants of a dream he simply couldn't remember. The memory slipped away as soon as Jazz's hand slid across his bumper and then around his waist to pull him closer.

It was a morning like any other. The war was still over, they were still on Earth, and there was nothing wrong with Prowl's life. Except perhaps that Sideswipe continued to usurp his authority despite the need for it being moot. Skywarp was working with the prankster, Prowl was sure. But all that was still inormal/i. Why did he have to look for something that was wrong? He had Jazz, finally. Nothing could faze him. Right?

He turned in Jazz's arms to face the saboteur and they silently stared into each other's optics.

"Prowl," he paused to kiss his chevron and Prowl shuddered, "what's wrong?"

"I," Prowl started, but found he couldn't put the feeling into words. Was there anything wrong? "I don't know."

Prowl shook his head and snuggled closer to Jazz. "I don't know," he said again.

From some reason Jazz knew this wasn't the time to tease. "Bad dream?"

The mech didn't respond, just stared at the shoulder plate in view of his optics and traced its contours with his finger. He eventually had to tear himself away from Jazz and the berth, though the feeling didn't go away. Prowl went about his day and still, felt as though he had lost something very precious. It distracted him, made him slip on the puddle of fuel outside the human military section.

Crashing to the floor with quite a loud clatter, Prowl stared in utter shock at the ceiling. How had he missed ithat?/i The smell was almost overpowering and it felt slimy on his armor. Getting up and walking more carefully now, Prowl hacked the locked door.

It opened and Skywarp slammed into him.

The 'Con panicked in Prowl's arms, babbling like Bluestreak. "Prowl! You've got to leave you can't be here! The humans, they built something! I don't know why, but its scary and there's something wrong with its energy field! They told me to - " A loud crash interrupted Skywarp. "Oh Primus its coming!"

The jet took off at a run and attempted to take Prowl with him. But the mech was having none of it. He stood, weapons ready, and waited for the machine to come out. There was a boom of harmonics and the walls crashed down. Pieces of concrete flew into the hallway Prowl was standing in and he ducked to avoid them.

When the dust settled, he saw what looked like a pile of rusted metal and cords. The yellow optics in the centre were fixed on him.

"Yo - u ag - ain," it said, its audio glitching halfway through each word. With a growl, it spoke again, coming towards Prowl with a determined stride. At least, he thought it was striding. It was coming towards him, that much he could tell. "How many times do I have to kill you to get out of here?" Its speech was smoother this time, but with a static undertone.

It was horribly crude.

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Prowl woke up with a jerk, and would have fallen off the berth if Jazz hadn't caught him.

"Hey, you runnin' away on me?"

Too disoriented to respond, Prowl just shook his head. What was going on? His CPU told him nothing except that Jazz's hands on his bumper felt really good. But something was wrong. There was a hallway and it was wrong.

Jazz tapping his chevron brought his attention back to the mech in front of him. This was the only normal part, the part where Jazz asked him if something was wrong.

"What's wrong, love?"

Prowl blinked. How had he known Jazz would ask that?

"I don't know." That answer seemed familiar too. It didn't make sense, none of it did. It set his processor spinning and his battle computer was just about to kick in when Jazz ilicked/i his right headlight.

"You're not supposed to distract me, Jazz."

"Ah, but I can, Prowler."

Jazz bit in that place just under the middle of his bumper and Prowl writhed, all higher processing defenestrating. He pulled the saboteur up for a fierce kiss and whispered, "more," against Jazz's lips.

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Police report in hand, Prowl read it on his way to the human sector. Someone was stealing a certain type of high quality metal that had been illegal to reproduce in the United States since 1987.

He was about to open the door when he noticed the odd wet feeling on his feet. Prowl frowned and looked down to find fuel leaking from under the door. He stepped back, pressing the last button just as he did.

The door burst open, smoke bellowing out and Skywarp not far behind. He crashed into Prowl, the mech catching him deftly in his arms.

"Prowl! What are you doing here? I told you! You can't be here! The humans, they built something! I don't know why, but its scary and there's something wrong with its energy field! They told me to - " A loud crash interrupted Skywarp. "Oh Primus its coming!"

The trembling mech pressed Prowl against the wall, off-lining his optics like he was waiting for something.

It came quickly. The walls disintegrated first, followed by the thing Skywarp had mentioned.

"You've stayed this time, instead of running off like a coward. Come now, I will give you quick death this time."

"No, please, leave Prowl alone!"

The thing chuckled. "I really don't think you have any say in that."

"NO!"

The thing's clawed hand plucked Skywarp from Prowl's arms and killed him with a single bite to the mech's head. It was disgusting and horrible. Worse than anything Prowl had witnessed before.

He fired a shot from his canon, catching the creature's shoulder just as it began to advance on him.

"Don't think it's a victory, you've tried that before."

"What do you mean before?"

"You don't remember? Too bad."

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"NO!" Prowl woke with a scream, fans overheating and his battle computer running at light speed. "He didn't have to die!"

"Prowl!" Jazz cried, trying to keep the mech in his arms calm. "It's okay! The war is over!"

Prowl whimpered and burrowed into Jazz. "No, Jazz. Something else is wrong. And it keeps happening over and over. Like some sort of flaw, a time loop."

"What are you talking about, Prowl? You know that's not possible on Earth." Jazz revved his engine in an attempt to comfort his lover.

"I know. I know it doesn't make sense. But it's true. Every time, I am torn to pieces, as well as Skywarp."

"Skywarp? Is he experimenting with his teleportation again?"

"I don't know."

"Are you sure it wasn't a nightmare?"

"Yes. No. I don't know."

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The first thing Prowl did once he was able to brave leaving Jazz's embrace, was find Skywarp. He pinged the Decepticon, but only received static in reply. By the time Red Alert had pinpointed Skywarp's location, Prowl felt it was too late. The video surveillance had shorted out seconds after glimpsing a human being dismembered by an invisible hand.

Red Alert sounded the alarm and Prowl ran hard to the human sector. Something was deeply wrong, Prowl was sure of it. He slipped on the fuel, barely kept his balance and slid towards the door. Not bothering to hack it, Prowl just tore open the door. Black smoke blocked his vision for a moment until it cleared.

Eight human bodies littered the floor, none of them whole. Blood covered both the walls and the floor. At the edge of the room was what Prowl thought was pile of scrap metal until it shifted. It moved towards Skywarp, whom was backing away slowly with his hands in front of him. There was a purple flash from Skywarp's hands and the thing crackled.

"Ag - ain, Sky - warp? Do y - ou wa - nt to die ag - ain?"

"You could shut down, I can help you. We can stop this time loop once and for all."

"Sh - ut do - wn?" The thing was 10.25 feet from Skywarp now, advancing slowly as it spoke. "Yo - u'll kill me as so - on as I off-line."

Skywarp took off at that point, running into Prowl in the doorway. Unfortunately, Prowl was still trying to work out how a time loop was possible where Skywarp was concerned. Skywarp in his arms was beginning to feel familiar just as the mech started babbling, iagain/i. For some reason, these events were repeating themselves and they centered around the pile of slag across the room.

A sudden wave of hatred came over Prowl and his logic centre struggled with the powerful emotion. His optics glitched and the thing was suddenly much closer. Skywarp left at that point, shouting that he would get help. Somehow, Prowl didn't quite believe anyone would arrive in time.

But for what?

The claws moving at an impossible speed pulled his attention away from his hatred and everything came together for Prowl in the seconds it took for the claws to pierce his armor. The mech hung like a limp doll on the thing's hand as it laughed manically before tearing Prowl apart.

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It was a wordless scream this time and Prowl was a shuddering mess in Jazz's arms for ten agonizing minutes. His CPU was defragged and he could barely contain the dry sobs that tore through his frame.

Jazz just held Prowl as tightly as he could without crushing the mech. He was shocked, scared, and confused. Prowl didn't show emotion and when he did, it wasn't this... Much.

Slowly, very slowly in those ten minutes, Prowl's logic centre pieced itself back together. The sobs stopped first, then the trembling.

"Prowl, love, what's wrong?" Jazz asked, but the mech just attempted to climb inside him. "Should I fetch Ratchet?"

"No! Jazz, please..." Prowl protested, speaking for the first time.

"Then will you tell me what's wrong? This isn't you."

"I don't know," Prowl said, staring up into Jazz's optics as if they would give him an answer. Odd memories began to surface and Prowl frowned in confusion. He vaguely remembered some sort of human-made mech. But surely that wasn't possible? Had it happened yesterday?

Abruptly, like a magnetized puzzle, all the pieces came together in Prowl's CPU. He remembered everything, the time loop that Skywarp created somehow, dying over and over. So very painfully. Prowl winced.

"What did you just figure out?"

"Everything," Prowl breathed, getting up slowly. "But how do I stop it?"

The mech paced the length of the berth, with one hand on his hip, the other tapping his chin.

"Stop what?"

"Quiet, Jazz, I need to figure this out before it's too late."

The saboteur glared and pressed his lips together. "You know, sometimes if you talk it out, it helps," Jazz paused and off-lined his optics for a moment, "you're scaring me, Prowl. One minute your shaking like a leaf, the next is like you figured out some regular problem. What is going on here?"

Prowl stopped pacing and looked at Jazz with a grave expression. "I can't tell you. I'd rather have you here, the less variables in this the better."

"Prowl..."

"I'm sorry, Jazz."

Prowl left Jazz looking very confused and went straight to the Ark's main console. Fireflight and Sideswipe were there too, checking the operating systems; as they had to every few hours. Prowl stepped up to panel controlling environmental systems and casually fiddled with the controls until he had successfully administered a sleeping gas to the human sector where the strange thing was being kept.

He glanced up at the security camera, imagining Red Alert's shocked expression following him. Out of the camera view field, Prowl broke into a run. He may have saved human lives, now it was time to save Skywarp's.

Passing by the armory, Prowl picked up a few heavy weapons. He received a few strange looks as he went into the human sector, but he ignored them. The fuel spill had barely escaped the door when he got there and he open the door.

A blast of white gas hit him and he waited a moment for it to clear. He saw Skywarp working on the thing in the corner, which was obviously off-line for the moment.

"Prowl! Hey, um, I assumed the gas was a malfunction - what's with the weapons?"

"Step aside, Skywarp."

"Um... No? The humans got a few things wrong, but I'm pretty sure it's operational if I can just - "

"No. It won't work. Now step aside."

"Well if it won't work than what's the harm in - "

"Skywarp! I said, MOVE!"

Prowl's emotions were getting the better of him with the thing in sight and he glared at Skywarp. The mech obediently moved out of the way.

The shots Prowl fired were precise and the thing was a pile of half melted metal by the time he was done. He knew he hit it's 'spark' - if it had one - when there was large yellow explosion.

Prowl calmly put down his weapons and walked out of the room, leaving a very stunned Skywarp. He found Jazz in his office and had the mech pinned to the desk within seconds. A few more, and the saboteur forgot why he should question the way Prowl was pressing into his seams.

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"So, Prowler." Jazz nudged his lover and the mech groaned in response.

"It's Prowl. And go away."

"You never told me what you were freaking out over this morning?"

Prowl turned to face Jazz with a serious look. "Oh. It's a long story."

"Tell me."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"It's over, Jazz. It's not - "

"Tell me."

"The humans created a mech, I think. They called Skywarp to help with it's harmonics, but it turned out wrong. The thing onlined and killed every human in that room - "

"Wait, this happened today?"

"No. Not this today."

"Prowl, you're not making any sense."

"Let me continue, and I might."

"Right."

"It turned to Skywarp after that and at different times, that was usually when I walked in. Around that time, Skywarp created the time loop. He tried to make a run for it, but I stayed and consequently, the thing killed me. I assume it killed Skywarp as well, but I always woke up to start the day all over again."

"So that's what you figured out."

"Yes."

"And before?"

"Dying that brutally can have that affect on me."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. If you hadn't been there every time I woke up, I think I would have gone insane."

Jazz pulled Prowl closer. "I'm glad yer not, love."

Prowl smiled. "Me too."


End file.
